A Timeless Teaser
by VTM Potter Crazy
Summary: Since it's taking so long to get the sequel to "One Timeless Chance" up and running I decided to put this up for those who are patiently waiting. Watch this space, the teasing hasn't even begun yet!
1. Chapter 1

**Let the teasing begin. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

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A Timeless Teaser

Many miles away from where Hermione and her companions had landed a woman sat on her doorstep tending to fresh bruises and cuts that had been given to her only moments ago. She had watched with glee as her husband had stumbled out the door in a drunken rage after she had refused to…tend to him. She had watched as he pulled his keys from the coffee table and driven the car off down the road.

She hoped he crashed and died a very painful death.

It wasn't usually something you would say about your husband but she said it everyday. She said it as she made breakfast for him, as she did his laundry, as she made their bed, as she served him dinner, as she cleaned his house, as she did his dishes and as she slept next to him at night. Most of all she said it as she said it at times like these, where she sat out in the sun and dealt to her cuts and bruises that he gave her. It wasn't much of a hassle really, being a witch did help. The only problem was that she couldn't deal back to him without using magic and that was of course illegal.

Some days she wondered what had made her choose him in the first place but then she realized that it hadn't been that way in the beginning. He had been charming and sweet and kind but as soon as he had that ring on her finger it all changed. The one thing she could say she was grateful for was the beautiful son he had given her. She thanked Merlin every time he wasn't home to see her this way. Then again her husband didn't think much of him either. She thought of it as an annoyance really, the way he would hit her with all his muggle might but her son was always enraged by it. He had tried to fight back on occasion but she had always held him back, knowing that his temper would not scream at him to use magic.

Just as she cast the last of her bruises away and swallowed a potion for the pain there was a _crack_ from the bushes in front of her. She rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who it was and what he was there for.

"I thought the mudblood would never leave," he said as he came out and dusted himself off, "Why do you stay with the idiot? You obviously don't love him."

"Because I'm just as stubborn as you are," she replied, "Why do you stay with your wife? You obviously don't love her and your father is dead. He can't say anything about it now."

"Matter of principle," he told her, "Malfoys don't get divorced."

Eileen Snape rolled her eyes at him. She may have loved him once, she probably still did, but she would never be able to get over the Malfoy rules. One set for them and another for everyone else.

"What does he want this time Abraxus?" She asked him, "I've already told him, he can't have my son."

"He knows he has to wait for that," he told her as he joined her on the patio, "He'll wait until Severus is out of school and then-"

"And then my days are numbered," she laughed, "I already know all his plans concerning my son and I'll tell you right now, none of them will work."

"And how are you so certain of that?" He asked her with a scoff, "You and I have watched him grow into what he is. You know the kind of power he holds."

"You can tell Tom straight from me," she said with smile full of secrets, "My son will go blond before he's ever a true Death Eater."

Abraxus just looked at her as though she'd gone mad but that was nothing unusual these days.

"He's willing to wait as long as it takes for Severus," he told her, "But he's not why I'm here."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I take it you remember Hermione Evans?" He asked her.

A great shock went down Eileen's spine as she stared at her former lover. That was a name she hadn't heard in over thirty years and she had hoped that the next time it found her ears it would have come from someone different. But her Prince genes kept her in check and she got a hold of herself quickly.

"What about her?" She asked.

"He seems to think that she's back in the country with her Uncle Leopold. Not sure about her fiancé though," Abraxus told her, "Apparently there are records saying he was killed at the front all those years back."

"Nice to know but what does all this have to do with me?" She asked curtly.

"He thinks that if Hermione goes to anyone while she's here it'll either be you or Dumbledore."

She laughed.

"He's still running on that theory is he?" She asked, "That she was one of Dumbledore's stooges sent to go and get rid of him? Or does he still think that she was trying to steal his glory?"

"It doesn't matter what he really thinks," he told her, "Not to you anyway. If she comes to you, he wants to know."

She scoffed.

"He'll leave Severus be if you hand her over."

Now he had her attention. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't believe you." She snarled, standing from her seat and walking. He followed her inside her house and persisted. He would really get in trouble if he didn't find some kind of common ground with her.

"He's willing to-"

"I don't give a _damn_ what he is willing to do!" she roared as they reached her kitchen, almost hitting him as she swung around to face him, "Not once has he ever done right by me or my son! Why on earth would he start now?!"

"You know what Hermione meant to him," he told her, grabbing her by the arms, almost trying to shake sense into her, "You know what she represented to him."

"Yeah, everything he is now!" She said as she struggled from his grip, "He couldn't have gotten much further with her by his side-"

"He doesn't see it that way!" He yelled as he knocked her into the kitchen counter and held her there, "Think about it Eileen! This is your chance to save both you and your son! If he had her then he wouldn't need Severus, he wouldn't have to spite you, everything that happened thirty years ago would be forgiven and you could walk through Diagon Alley or St Mungo's without fear of being attacked by Death Eaters in disguise!"

"I don't have any fear when it comes to him," she sneered, "Not anymore."

"That's why you married the muggle then is it?" He spat back, "That's why you hide here under hundreds of charms and spells to keep anything magical out?"

"You're here aren't you?" She quipped.

"Only because of the Fidelius charm you placed on me that night we-"

"Shut up!" She told him, "I had to do what was best for my son and after that mistake-"

"It wasn't a mistake and you know it," he told her, "You know it just as much as I do and if you would just stop being so stubborn and divorce Snape and come back to me-"

"To be your whore?" She laughed bitterly, "I'm better than that and you know it. I would be able to divorce Tobias if I wanted to but you; you would never leave Lestrange would you? Dearest Miala would never survive."

"He could order me to kill you at any moment Eileen!" He roared at her, "Just because he can't end it himself doesn't mean he can't send me to do it and I would have to, just to protect my own family!"

"And he knows just as much as I do that if he ever laid a finger on me, yours or his, Severus would never go near him," she smiled, "I'm everything to that boy, I'm all he's got and Tom _knows_ it."

"Eileen you've backed yourself into a corner," he whispered desperately, "One of three things are going to happen here. Either he finds Hermione without your help and he doesn't need Severus anymore, in which case you're dead; or he finds a way to get around the fact that Severus loves you in which case you're dead; or you take this deal, hand over Hermione, he doesn't need Severus anymore in which case-"

"I'm dead anyway," she laughed again, "Face it Abraxus he isn't going to keep any promises concerning me unless it's to have me killed. I'm not going to get out of this alive. I've made my piece with it, it's time to make yours."

She gave an almighty shove, making him stumble and she walked over to the door, holding it open for him with a smirk.

"Now get out of my house," she told him firmly, "And don't come back unless it's to tell me that Miala's chest has finally exploded and her nose has fallen off."

He closed his eyes and shook his head before walking out her door without another word.

"And you can tell your lord to go fuck himself," she yelled after him, slamming her door shut and retiring to the living room to watch some T.V.


	2. Chapter 2

**MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

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**

A Timeless Teaser

Cygnus sat with his wife that afternoon with a cup of tea in one hand and a fine cigar in the other. It was a Sunday after all, he was allowed to indulge.

Sundays were perhaps his favourite days of the week. It was the day he spent with his wife, it was one of the days that he had no work to do, it was the day that letters from his three beautiful daughters came from their various homes but most of all, it was the day where he got to smoke to his heart's content.

Druella absolutely detested the habit. To Cygnus there was nothing more pleasurable than a warm cigar on a sunny Sunday morning with the paper next to him and a cup of tea in his left hand…Well, maybe sex could top that but it wasn't like he and Druella had a lot of time for that lately. With the two of them working at the Ministry almost twenty four-seven it was amazing that they even found time to sit down and have a meal together.

But despite the troubles that had come due to the gap that work and children had forced between them their relationship was still going strong and he was grateful for his wife every single day of his life. He would always remember the day that he knew she would be his wife, the mother of his children. It had been over thirty years ago as he lay in the hospital wing, battered, broken, upon the brink of death and there she was. Crying by his bedside, tending to his bandages where Madam Gertrude could not, giving him potions on the hour every hour…She was already a doting spouse. He knew at that moment when he opened his eyes for the first time after his brutal exile from Lord Voldemort's service that Druella was the one for him and that was never going to change.

"Did you see the letter from your sister this morning dear?" She asked him after taking a sip of her tea.

Cygnus grumbled. His sister had been nothing but a thorn in his side since their parents had died. He and his brother Alphard had nothing to do with her these days unless she contacted them first and in Alphard's case that was not often.

"Apparently she's planning on blowing your Aunt Cedrella off the family tapestry," she told him conversationally, "She married a Weasley last week you know. Went and eloped with him after her caretakers at the home left them alone in front of a courtroom full of Wizenagmot officials."

"I knew mum and dad should have given the house to me!" He suddenly burst out, "I'll bet you anything she's gone and blown off Alphard after he gave gold to her son and I heard from Regulus that she's even put a hole where Sirius' name used to be! All because he ran away! I'll bet you anything she's just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of our children too! Have you seen the way she looks at Andromeda? It's almost like she's waiting for her to stuff up!"

"Do you really care if your name is on that tapestry?" She asked him, "You gave up on the Black family ideals a long time ago, why do you care if your name is on a piece of carpet that carries the saying 'always pure'?"

"It's just principal Druella," he told her, "She's ruining a very old family relic just because people don't believe the same things she does. And as much as I hate to admit it, that tapestry is a part of my heritage. I want my daughters to be able to see where they come from but if Walburga blasts them off because of some silly excuse-"

"Then don't give her an excuse."

Cygnus turned to see a face that he had hoped not to see for a very long time to come. He had always known that Lord Voldemort was not quite done with him but he had always thought that he would send Abraxus to see him at a much later date, preferably when his daughters were out of school and married off to the best wizards possible.

Abraxus moved into the room slowly just as Cygnus rose from his seat and drew his wand. Druella seemed frozen at the sight of him, unable to move in his presence.

"I've already told you that my Lucius is interested in Andromeda," he said conversationally, completely unperturbed by the fact that he now had a wand pointed in his direction, "I would be more than happy to announce the betrothal if you would give him your blessing."

"None of my daughters are going anywhere near your son," Cygnus growled.

"Why ever not?" Abraxus asked as he took a seat, "And do put that thing away Cygnus, if I was here to kill you I would have done it already."

"Just because you're not here to murder us, doesn't mean I want you in my house," Cygnus bit back. Abraxus simply rolled his eyes.

"Cygnus put it down," he told him, "We can either make this visit amiable or…difficult, and I would much rather have a cup of tea with my best friend rather than hex him into next century."

Regardless of the voice that was screaming inside his head not to obey Cygnus lowered his wand and sat next to his wife across from Abraxus on the couch.

"You haven't been my friend for over thirty years Abraxus," he glared, "What do you want?"

The blond seemed slightly put out by this comment but said nothing as the tea pot floated his way and poured him a cup of steaming earl grey.

"The Dark Lord has come to me with some information," he told him, "Information and an opportunity for the both of you and Eileen Snape."

Cygnus stiffened at the sound of Eileen's name. He hadn't heard from her in a very long time. She had sent him a letter seventeen years ago saying that she was going into hiding with her new born child and husband and that he wouldn't hear from her again unless it was to warn him of coming danger. Fortunately it had never come to that and she had remained silent and undisturbed for many years. Her son, Severus if he remembered correctly, attended Hogwarts with his two young nephews and was in the same year as Sirius, doing well with school and was particularly gifted with the art of potions.

Like mother, like son, he couldn't help but think. He was brought back to the present however, when Abraxus let a small cough escape his lips.

"I haven't heard from Eileen," he told him stiffly, "And even if I had I would never tell you where she was. I know exactly what Riddle wants to do to her-"

"You can relax Cygnus," Abraxus stopped him in mid rant, "I've already seen Eileen and she's er…not exactly on the same page as the Dark Lord at the moment. Though I hope with time she'll see the error of her ways."

Cygnus stiffened.

"You've seen her?" He asked quietly, "How-how is she?"

Abraxus frowned.

"The muggle scum beats her," he told him with a sneer and clench of his fist, "He beats her and she lets him."

Cygnus took a few seconds to notice the anger in Abraxus' voice before registering his own. He hadn't heard anything from Eileen at all and while no news was disconcerting he used to hope that no news meant good news. Apparently it didn't.

"I tried to get her to leave him," Abraxus confessed, "When I saw her, I tried to get her to leave him and-"

"And what?" Cygnus asked snidely, "Go back to you? Sorry Abraxus but she has far too much class for that. I'm sure she would rather be beaten to a pulp every night than be your whore. I'm sure she could leave Snape in a second but you, you would never leave Miala. You like your trophies too much, even when the only woman you've ever loved is ready to drop everything in her life just for you."

"Funny," Abraxus said humourlessly, "That's exactly what she said."

"So what could Riddle possibly have to offer us?" He asked him, finally cutting to the point.

Abraxus took a breath of mourning for the friendship that was going to be even further shattered by this conversation. He knew that Cygnus wouldn't agree to it, he knew it. But the Dark Lord had insisted that he try and if he didn't try…well, let's just say that the friendship was well worth avoiding the pain that would come his way if he didn't drop it.

"The Dark Lord has been watching your daughters," Abraxus told him, "He has a particular interest in Bellatrix and Andromeda. He thinks they would both be great assets to his ranks."

"If he's looking for permission-"

"You and I both know that Riddle doesn't need permission for anything," Druella finally spoke to her husband, "That's not what Malfoy is offering."

"Quite right Druella," Abraxus said with an amused smirk on his face, "I have to say you were never that observant during school."

"Perhaps I was and everyone else just failed to observe me."

"Touché," he conceded, "Touché."

Abraxus took another sip of tea before he continued.

"Rumours have been circulating the last couple of weeks," he told them, "That Hermione Evans is back in the country."

Cygnus and Druella both stiffened. That name, so familiar and yet so distant, the soul reason why they were together…it was both a joy and a discomfort to hear it again. It was Druella who seemed to recover from the shock first. She planted a glare on her face quickly as she began to clear away the tea tray.

"Still after her is he?" She asked Abraxus, "You can tell him from me that he's wasting his time."

"And what makes you say that?" He asked. He wasn't quite used to this smarter, cooler, more observant Druella.

"Hermione Evans is one of the most intelligent women I've ever met, Malfoy," she told him, "I would take a guess that she's just as smart if not smarter than Riddle himself. If she doesn't want to be found then she won't be. The last thirty odd years have proven that."

"And if you think for a moment that we would hand her over if she came here you can think again," Cygnus told him, "I let her down once, I'm not going to do it again."

"And what if I said that the Dark Lord would leave your children be if he had Hermione Evans back by his side?" He asked quietly, "What if I said that he was willing to exchange her life for theirs?"

Cygnus scrutinised him for a few moments and said nothing. Druella just snorted.

"With her there he would have no need for Bellatrix or Andromeda," Abraxus continued, "They would be free to live their own lives."

"That's the problem though isn't it?" Cygnus laughed bitterly, "He would never have her by his side. She was going to kill him back in school. She wanted him dead, when is he going to get that?"

"Times change," Abraxus told them.

"They certainly do," Cygnus told him with a leer, "But we all know that this is never going to change. Hermione Evans would never go back to him and I would never encourage her to do so. In fact, I would be standing right behind her in order to help bring that bastard down. So you can take his offer and shove it Abraxus! I don't want to hear another word about your lord."

Abraxus narrowed his eyes and anger flew through him for the first time since he had arrived. He stood from his chair and marched over to Cygnus, yanking his arm out of his pocket and wrenching up his sleeve with a sneer.

"Your lord too Cygnus," he spat, "You made the same mistake."

Cygnus just looked at him for a few moments, processing his words before his eyes widened in realisation. It just clicked inside his mind the moment the words left the other man's lips.

"You want out don't you," he said quietly. Abraxus let go of Cygnus' arm as though it had burned him and stood up straight, sweeping imaginary dust off of his robes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered.

"Yes you do!" Cygnus said forcefully, grabbing Abraxus by his shoulders and holding him there, "You've finally realised that the lunatic has ruined your life entirely! You want out! Abraxus if you just-"

"No!" the blond snapped, "Don't you say another word!"

"Abraxus the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore can help you-"

"Dumbledore couldn't help his way out of a wet paper bag," Abraxus sneered, "There is nothing he could possibly do for me or my family and neither can you."

"That's it isn't it?" Druella said as she rejoined the converation, "He's holding your family ransom isn't he? Abraxus let us help you!"

Abraxus wrenched himself from Cygnus' grip and glared at the two of them.

"I will inform the Dark Lord of your decision," he said harshly before turning his back on them.

"Abraxus!" Cygnus called after him but the blond didn't turn back. Cygnus slumped into the nearest chair and buried his head in his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

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A Timeless Teaser

Hermione returned to Hogwarts with a feeling of relief washing over her that night. If she couldn't save one friend she would at least save another. That was how she worked. If one problem proved to be impossible she would either work on it until she passed out from exhaustion or move onto the next. It was just not in her nature to give up without a fight.

And so she moved swiftly through the town of Hogsmeade, the pressure to do and complete and solve so many things washing off her back like a hippogriff in a storm. It all just seemed to melt away, that was until she heard his voice.

"I was wondering when you would venture out of the castle," he said, "You never were one to stay put."

She closed her eyes, refusing to turn her body to face him. She didn't want to see him, she didn't want to hear from him, she just wanted to go back up to the castle and sleep in her nice warm bed and try to forget about the trouble and the heartache that he had caused her, just for one night.

"Remove your hood and look at me Hermione," he whispered, "Don't make me force you."

She suddenly found her strength and her courage at the mention of force. She opened her eyes into a deathly glare, lowered her hood and turned to face him. He had definitely changed much since the last time she saw him although for the moment he wasn't what she expected. He still had that fine chiseled jaw, flowing dark hair, now touched with just one streak of grey and an impressive, imposing form. He had very few wrinkles and seemed to look about the age of thirty rather than forty-eight. He wasn't at all like the Voldemort of her time and she wondered whether that came much later or whether this Tom was just an illusion.

He seemed to pick up on why she was staring.

"Have I aged that terribly?" He asked, "Or is it that you would prefer this?"

He gave a small twitch of his wand and he instantly reverted to what she had expected to see in the beginning. The glowing red eyes, the translucent skin and spider fingers with long, chipped nails and an air of darkness and despair that accompanied his aura of power.

"You of course haven't aged a bit, have you?" He said, his voice suddenly changed from deep and calm to high and cold, just like she remembered from the old days. When she said nothing he instantly changed his appearance back to the way it had been and stared coldly at her through, still, glowing red eyes. It was the only part of him, she realized, that would always remain the same.

He stared at her again, tipping his head to the side.

"Did all that time travel impair your ability to speak?" He asked her, "Or are you simply too frightened to mutter a single syllable? If it is the latter I promise you that I mean you no harm…tonight."

She stared at him for a few moments before finally opening her mouth.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked him quietly, almost a whisper as her glare faltered she took in a shuddering breath.

"Ah so she does still speak!" He said mockingly before turning his mind back to her question, "As if the letters from my followers and their children weren't enough it seems that the mark I placed on your wrist seems to have forged a connection of sorts my dear. So long as you are alive your presence is constantly in the back of my mind and I have a very strong feeling that if you search deep enough you would be able to find me in the back of yours."

She unconsciously scratched at her left wrist as he spoke and tried to focus on finding an escape route as she did so but she couldn't think of anything. She was on the main road halfway between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, nothing but trees and rocks and plants surrounding her. Nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. She was completely and utterly trapped.

So she settled for stalling in the hopes that someone would notice her missing and come out to search for her.

"I'm sure I could teach you if you're unable to do it yourself," he offered.

"The last time you tried to teach me something I ended up half mad," she found herself glaring again, her anger returning.

"You were planning to betray me," he told her, "What other choice did I have?"

"You've had many choices your entire life and yet you always stick to one," she told him scathingly, "You refuse to see-"

"No Hermione," he said quietly, "You are the one who refuses to see. You are the one who refuses to see what I could have given you if you-"

"Given me?" She asked incredulously, "You tried to kill me!"

"If you think back to that night dear, you'll remember that all my curses were either aimed at your pathetic lackeys or missed you by miles," he told her with a roll of her eyes, "If I had really wanted to kill you then you would be dead."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't believe you," she told him and he sighed.

"When have I ever lied to you?" He asked, "If I remember correctly it's you who handles the deceit in our relationship."

"We do not have a relationship," she scoffed.

He then seemed to disappear into thin air and reappear directly in front of her, so close that she could feel his breath tickling her chin, his chest against her own as he backed her up into a tree and held her there.

"So warming my bed was just a passing fancy was it?" He asked her quietly, "Or was seducing me always the plan?"

"I didn't seduce you," she said just as quietly, "You seduced me and there is more to a relationship than just sex, Tom."

He seemed to shiver at the sound of his name coming off her lips for the first time in thirty years. One of his hands made its way slowly to her hip and the other moved slowly to open her cloak and run his fingers delicately on the skin of her neck and collar bone.

She couldn't help but shiver to as he touched her. She had nowhere to go, no way to get out from his grip and as she really thought about it, she realized that she didn't want to. Not really. She knew that she should, she knew that it was absolutely vital that she found a way to move, found a way to detest and despise his touch. She needed to find a way to hate what he could do to her with a single touch but there was a very big difference between want and need.

"Sex may not be the only part of a relationship," he whispered to her, his lips right by her ear, "But it is a vital one. Sex forges a connection between two people that can not be broken easily if it was not forced. You can not say that I ever forced you Hermione, not even when you were under the influence of the mark. I never touched you then."

As if to emphasize this, the hand that was on her hip dipped inside her cloak and beneath her shirt to touch her bare skin again. She gasped at the contact, feeling her eyes close and fighting it every step of the way. She felt his head move from her cheek and his eyes stare upon her once more, half lidded, full of lust and desire.

"No," she whispered, "You didn't. You just enjoyed ordering me to do mundane tasks for half an hour."

He allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips which were so close to hers she could almost taste him. The hand under her shirt began to play with the waste band of her jeans.

"And what would you do if I touched you now?" He asked, so quiet that she wouldn't have been able to hear him if his lips weren't so close, "Would you push me away? Try to curse me?"

"You and I both know that I'm not in a position to do either of those things," she told him. His eyes flashed particularly bright at the thought and both his hands came down to the waistband of her jeans.

"Then I had better make the best of this," he whispered before his lips finally came crushing down onto hers. It was as though no time had passed by at all for him. She was exactly the same as she had been when she left, still soft, still supple, still full of life and still the most attractive woman he had ever met. He couldn't help but growl when he felt her surrender and start kissing him back, her hands winding around his neck as he picked her up, fondling her behind as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He ground his hips into her, showing her just how much he had missed her all those years, showing her he had never bothered to take anyone else into his bed. They would never satisfy him the way she did, never, and he knew it. And she knew it now too, gasping into his mouth with every stroke.

He suddenly couldn't take it anymore. He somehow managed to get his wand out from inside his robes and apparate them both inside a dusty room with a queen sized bed in the middle of it. He carried her there, his lips still locked to hers, his tongue fighting fiercely for control. Once he had her on the bed, his body pinning her there, he made short work of her shirt and jeans, discarding them and savouring every part of her flesh that he could reach. She was ready for him, ready and willing, just the way he wanted her and he couldn't wait to have her. It seemed she couldn't wait much longer either as she tore open his robes and- stopped.

Why did she stop?

He looked at where her gaze was centered and found her staring at a single pink line that marred his chest. She had an expression on her face that rather unsettled him as she ran her fingers over the small scar.

"While I aimed to miss," he told her quietly, "You aimed very much to kill. You'll have to tell me one day why you hated me so much."

Her expression changed again, back to the cold glare that he had been greeted with and she spoke in a swift, soft, and yet somehow harsh whisper.

"Get off me."

He frowned at her words but did not do as she asked. He leaned in to kiss her once more but she turned her head to avoid him.

"Get. Off. Me" she repeated. His frown deepened but he complied. He had been right before when he said that he had never forced her and he had no intention to start. She picked up her jeans and put them on quickly and went for her shirt but his hand shot out to stop her from grabbing it, taking her wrist in his fist.

"I will walk through Hogwarts just like this if I have to," she said firmly, "But I'd rather have the shirt."

"You can have the shirt when you tell me what changed," he told her just as firmly.

"I just remembered why I hated you so much," she spat, "Now give me my shirt so that I can leave."

"Who says I'm intending to let you?" He sneered back, throwing the shirt at her. She put it on hastily as he righted his robes, his wand in his hand once more just as she grabbed her own and pointed it at his chest.

"You will let me go," she told him, "Or I will force my way out of here."

"You don't even know where here is," he scoffed.

She smirked at him.

"The old Riddle mansion," she said, much to his surprise, "I've been here before."

"Right," he rolled his eyes, "And who did you almost shag the last time you were here?"

He could tell that she felt the urge to slap him for insulting her so harshly but he didn't care. He was in a very uncomfortable state thanks to her so he felt that she deserved everything she got from him.

"Oh just my fiancé," she spat at him, "My lovely, wonderful fiancé who would do anything for me and was the best I ever-"

"I hope you're not talking about Malone," he sneered back, "Because if you are-"

"No I'm not talking about fucking Malone!" She yelled, "I'm talking about my real fiancé! The one who's waiting for me when I get home! The one who is going to-"

"Do absolutely nothing to you if he knows what's good for him," he quietly threatened her.

"Why did you really come to see me today?" She asked him, "Just looking for one last fuck and then "goodbye Hermione" again?"

She was just angry, he knew it. She had never been capable of keeping her emotions under control, not when it concerned him anyway. He continued to glare although he put his wand away. She stared at him for several moments as he approached her but did not lower her weapon. He kept moving until her wand was directly at his throat, the tip just barely touching the skin. He then reached back inside his robes and brought something out that she didn't expect to see.

"I believe this belongs to you," he said in a voice that she didn't quite recognize. He placed the dagger in her other hand. She couldn't help but stare at it, completely stunned.

"Why are you giving this to me?" She whispered.

"It will serve as a reminder my dear," he told her in a harsh whisper as he grabbed a hold of her roughly once more, her wand now slipping from her finger tips, "That while this may belong to you, you will always belong to me. I may not be able to keep you tonight but mark my words Hermione, you will come back to me and you will stand by my side as I take everything this world has to offer me. Now that I know who and what you really are…I am never letting you go."

With those last words he gave her one last rough, fierce, demanding kiss and threw her into the nearby fireplace, throwing floo powder at her and saying clearly "Hogwarts!"

Just as the flames were about to die he picked up the wand she had been using and threw it in after her. He would most certainly have to ask her later on why she wasn't using her wand anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello Lovely Readers!**

**Right, I have some good news and some bad news.**

**Bad news: This is the last Teaser.**

**Good news: The prologue to the sequel is now up! It's under the name "One Timeless Choice" and can be conveniently found on my profile.**

**Also, there is a forum that has been made for any questions or theories that you might have that is also found on my profile.**  
**Happy reading guys and as always R&R!**

**~VTM**

* * *

They then turned back to the Great Hall and entered without another word. All chatter suddenly ceased at their appearance. Students and staff alike stared at them and whispered to their neighbours. Hermione and Severus for the most part ignored it and took their places by the headmaster.

"Now I know how Harry felt," she smirked and Severus rolled his eyes. Dumbledore smiled at them both before standing and introducing them to the rest of the school as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and the new Potions Apprentice who would be studying along side Severus Snape. At this, Severus stiffened and then turned to Hermione to whisper in her ear.

"Did you know of this?" He whispered, "Did you know that…Snape would be taking an apprenticeship this year?"

"I found out last night," she told him, "Why?"

"I never took an apprenticeship."

She turned her head so fast that her hair almost whipped him in the face.

"What?" She whispered.

"I never took one," he told her, "Least of all in my seventh year. I simply went to Dumbledore and he hired me after that. My…_experiences_ were enough."

Her eyes were wide with fear as she thought about it. If there was any doubt before there was none now. Whatever they had done in 1944 and 1945 had obviously changed certain outcomes in the future.

"Look around the hall and tell me if anything else has changed," she whispered to him urgently, "You were here before-"

"Nothing else is different," he told her, "Just…me."

"Maybe Dumbledore was wrong about-"

"No," he shook his head, "If he was wrong about that then something catastrophic would have happened rather than just my new found apprenticeship. Something we did in 1944 changed my time at Hogwarts…"

"And possibly your course afterward," she finished for him, "We'll have to find out later on. For now I think we had better just finish our breakfast."

And so they did. They spent much time scanning the halls and looking for any signs of trouble from either the students or time itself and found nothing. As they chewed their bacon and drank their pumpkin juice they couldn't help but notice a few of the conversations that were going on near them. Dumbleore was chatting to Minerva about the latest sweets at Honeyduke's while Slughorn and Flitwick were conversing about the use of charms in potions. It seemed for the most part that everything was relatively normal and that nothing else had changed. But Hermione was too careful nowadays to take anything at face value. She wouldn't believe that everything was fine until she had undeniable proof that she hadn't mucked up the time line.

Once breakfast was over she bid her Severus goodbye and as she left for the dungeons she was confronted by the younger version. He was standing at the top of the stairs that led to the classroom they would be practicing in for the rest of the year.

"You had best follow me through the dungeons," he told her, "There was discussion last night in the dorms that there would be a few pranks on the cards for your first day."

She smirked at him for a few moments.

"And why are you telling me this?" She asked.

"I'm returning a favor," he grumbled, "That is all."

"Right," she smiled, letting him believe whatever it was he wanted to believe and took his arm once more. They moved quickly, avoiding a few spells that had been cast their way until they stood outside their classroom waiting for Slughorn to appear. Across from them was the seventh year N.E.W.T potions class, laughing away and waiting to see what their last year had in store for them.

Three of them caught Hermione's eye. One with long shaggy hair and a handsome face, another with glasses and hazel eyes and one more with sandy brown hair and pink scars over his cheeks. Severus sneered at her when he caught her looking at them.

"I suppose you think Potter is good looking just like every other chit in this place," he growled.

She gave Potter another once over for good measure and shook her head.

"I've seen better," she told him. It was true to. He really wasn't all that great compare to the likes of Draco or…she shuddered at the train of thought she was headed down and quickly stopped it. Severus however had raised his eyebrows in interest.

"Is that so?" He asked, "What of Black then?"

"Sure he has looks but I'd never go there," she told him, "Seems like a garden variety idiot to me. Probably has the memory span of a goldfish."

"And Lupin?"

"Seems to docile," she smirked, "I need a man I can have a good fight with."

Snape snorted.

"You certainly are different," he told her, "Most of the girls in this place-"

He cut himself off as a certain girl came down into the dungeons. Hermione recognized her instantly from photos that Harry had shown her when they were younger with her fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. Snape stiffened by her side and watched with more pain than Hermione had ever seen his older counterpart exhibit, as Lily Evans walked up to James Potter and kissed him. When she had finished, James slung an arm around her shoulders and she looked in Snape's direction for a brief moment before looking away in shame. She obviously knew how he felt.

"Alright Snivellus?"

Their attention was drawn back to Black who had noticed them staring. Hermione tried to refrain from rolling her eyes. She had adored Sirius in her time until Severus had shown her a few memories of the man before he grew up.

"What do you want Black?" Snape spat at him.

"Just wanted to see how you're going Snivellus," he said in a mock friendly tone, "I see you managed to get rid of the pink hair that we gave you yesterday. Did he tell you about that Miss Evans? I guarantee you that if he hasn't, I can tell the tale much better."

This time Hermione did role her eyes. He was being deliberately cruel by attempting to take away all companionship that the boy had. Perhaps it was time he learned a few things.

"Really?" She smiled seductively, something she had learned from her time with the Dark Lord, "What happened?"

Severus looked at her confusedly for a few moments before scowling, seeming to think that she had been lying to him before and was now showing her true nature.

"Well," Sirius smirked, James snickering behind him as the boy placed his arm around Hermione's shoulders, "Me and the boys found dear old Snivellus out in the grounds and decided to play a game with him. You see, we made a deal that if he could hit us with any one of his curses we would let him go and wouldn't play anymore games for the rest of the year. He told us to sod off so we gave him a little incentive."

"What did you do?" She asked him breathlessly, leaning into him. Severus looked disgusted. She would have felt disgusted too but there was a point to everything that she was doing after all.

"Well," he said as he turned to face her and put his hands on her hips instead, "We started cursing him instead. The bat bogeys looked particularly good on him I must say. When he did finally start cursing us back though, he missed every time! He couldn't even hit Peter!"

The seventh year class, bar Lily and Remus, laughed uncontrollably at this. James was so bad that he had to stomp his foot to emphasize the hilarity he felt.

"What happened next?" She asked dreamily.

"We turned him into a pink rat and threw him in the lake," he laughed before running a finger down the side of her cheek, "Which brings me to the real point of coming over here. Why are you hanging around a rat like him when you can be hanging around with the boys and me? Come on love, come wait in line with us until old Sluggy gets here."

"Well…" She said, trying to sound unsure.

"Come on love," he said, his head getting closer and closer, "We'll make it worth your while."

"Ok," she whispered, "But before I do, tell me. What shade of pink was it you turned him? Was it something like…This!"

She pushed him away so fast and drew her wand so quickly that he had no idea what was going on before it was all over. She cast a permanent color spell on his hair and gave it the brightest pink she could possibly conjure, eyebrows included. Out of the corner of her eye she saw James let go of Lily and come to his friend's aid. She trained her wand on him so fast that he had no time to do anything but throw his hands up in surrender. Hermione made his hair so purple that even Lily was laughing by the end.

"What about you Lupin?" She asked, "Do you want to try as well?"

"Nope," he smirked, "They've had it a long time coming."

Hermione smirked back at him for a few moments before turning back to a stunned Sirius on the floor of the dungeons, staring at the strands of hair he could see in horror.

"Just so you know Black," she told him, "I would rather go around with him," she indicated Snape, "Than you any day of the week. And his name is _Severus_. The sooner you get that right the sooner your IQ will go up a few points."

He just stared at her and she sneered.

"Get back in line before I decide to do something a little more permanent than change your hair color," she spat. He scrambled up quickly and moved back to where he had stood before, staring at her the entire time until Slughorn arrived to let them in. Hermione quickly turned to Snape.

"When we walk in, put your arm around my waist," she whispered with a smirk. He looked stunned for a few moments as though no girl had ever let him come that close before but agreed none the less. Slughorn looked from Potter to Black for a few moments before shaking his head and letting them in and then turned back to Hermione and Snape. His eyes lingered on her for a few moments as his expression changed from that of amused disappointment to disbelief. But he said nothing and unlocked the door to the classroom. Severus did exactly as he had been told and moved his arm around her waist, smirking back at Black who looked at him in disbelief before they went inside. Slughorn followed in after Severus and Hermione, laying his teaching materials on the desk before turning back to Hermione.

"Would you please follow me to my office Miss Evans?" He asked her quietly, "There were a few problems with your timetable we need to sort out."

"Yes sir," she smiled at Severus before following the old man to the back of the room. Once inside the small office he stared at her in open shock.

"I must admit that when Albus told me everything I was…"

He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. She could have sworn that she saw tears threatening to spill over the borders of his eyes before he smiled.

"I'm glad that you're alright Miss Evans," he whispered, "Very glad indeed."

Hermione hesitated for a few moments as a question bubbled on her lips. She took a deep breath before finally deciding to ask. It was important after all, to know exactly what had happened.

"How-" She stuttered, "How was _he_? When I left?"

Slughorn didn't need to ask for clarification. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead with it before sitting behind his desk.

"Angry," he told her, "At first I didn't understand why he was so riled. I thought he should be grieving your death rather than raging at it but now that I know what really happened…"

"What did he tell you?" She asked, sitting in front of him.

"He told us that Grindlewald had come," he told her, "And like the fools that we were, we believed him, dear."

"No," she shook her head, "He has always been persuasive and endearing. I'm not surprised that you swallowed every lie that he fed you."

"And what lies did he feed you?" He asked her quietly, "What did he tell you in order to get you to come to his side?"

"It wouldn't have mattered what he told me," she told him, "It wouldn't have mattered how much he gave me or what he promised me, I could never be a part of his cause."

He smiled sadly at her.

"I wish there were more with your Gryffindor courage Miss Evans," he told her, "Then there would be no one left to support him."

She smiled at him just as sadly.

"Come," he told her after a while, "Let us begin the lesson."


End file.
